Electric switch



H. B. TROTT ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed June 18, 1928 May 14, 1929.

o- H f inafter. v

Patented May 14, 1929.

time STATE-s PATENT oFFigcEF.

HA RVEY B. TROTT, OF MCKEESPORI', PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Application filed June 18, 1923. Serial No. 286,462.

My invention relates to .electric switches. One object of this invention is to provide a switch which will openand close preferably by snap action and become locked in its alternate positions. Other objects appear here- Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1 is an elevation ofmy invention, the casing. being shown in-sectionontheline 11 on Fig. 3 and the,

parts being as they are at the time the contacts37 and,38;are closed but beforethe actuating mechanismhasreturned to itsidle position; Fig. 2,"a v iew like to Fig. 1, but

showing. all the actuatingmechanism except thetrigger 40- returned to;its idle position; Fig. 3, a cross-section on the line 33 1 On the drawing, 10. designates casing having at oppositenedgesarecesses lltwhichcontainstrips 12 of insulating material. 1

' 13 -15; arswitch :Oprating-bar: or. member standingcentrally between the sides andedges'of the casing and'pa'ralleli therewith.

Atopposite sides of the barsl3iand near the strips-12 of insulation are the contact-carrying bars 14 and l5.- The three I bars opposite terminal 13', 14 and 15 are guided by openings: in the crossbars or guide bars 16 and 17- soas to travel in parallel -pa-ths.- These::cross-bars are spaced apart so as'to receiveand bars'14 and '15. Fig'.- 3 shows the holes 18, 19 and 20 in the bar 17 for guiding the lower ends of therespective bars 13, "14 and 15. 1 Fig. 4- shows the hole'18 vand alsothe hole 21 in the bar 16 forthe Upper portion of the bar 13- The. ends of the bars 16 and '17 are shown embedded in the strips 12 of insulation, where they are held in place by =screws;22 in the strips and edges of the casing.

The" lower end of the bar 13 has the cap or.

push-button 23 threaded 'thereonpextending out through the lower endof the casing and; into the cup 24 projecting downwardly from the casing. A helical spring 25. su1r0undsthe bar 13 between-the cross-bar 17 and the. outer end of the'cap, the outer end of-thespring jbeing enclosed by. the cap. Thespring is under compression and tends to move the bar downwardly. 'The bar .16'has' two spaced apart upwardly-extending enrs=27 in which is mounted the.

parallel with the. bar '1'3 site the I nember 29." is at Iright a les lwithf the bar 13,.that;is; hasfit'sfend 'as to causethe springgto guide the portions 'of the respective notches 3lfin the edges of th e bars. The

rocker niernbe r 29 has the hole 32to. receive the bar ,13 and is pr ovi de d'with two' upstanding ears 33, the ne 'nhe r 29 ,having its central portion and ears 3,3 beltw eenlthe cars 27., .The central portionfotthef'bar 'lfi; or

rather the bases of the ears g'fl haveloutwardly projecting lugs 34 and the CG Ilt IfElIQPOI'tlOH of the ears33 have correspondingly'outwardly pro ecting lugs 35. ,C0il ed springs'36 are stretched between the pairs lof lugson opposite sides of thebikfi .3r-{ The 'springs stand andijid rct y Opp ends of the piv'et 2 8 whenfthe rocker ..S 1 a. i t*r angles with the bar'1'3. ,1.Thej -sp1{ings36 are overthrowsprings and snap tlie'- -r;ocker incin-- her and the bars 14 an. l5 ,.'one way'or the other when the i'ocker n1einberfis'turned so pas the dead center between the lugs 34 andBB-an'dthe 'pi'vot'28 in a manner Well known y i The upper ends ofthe bars '14 and 15 carry the respective.conta'cts 37 an'd 3 7f, adapted alternately to .bridgeor'connect the pairs of contacts 38 and 39.

.40 is atrigger or rocking rr'rernlmlfl pivoted centrally between its ends on the; 41 carried by the bar 13 betweenthe guidebars 16 and. 17. Tli e. trig'ger;. hasshoulders 42 and ,43which engage the edges of the bar 13 to limit theroeking of. the trigger in either direction. -The endsfill and 45iof the trigger are not in'a straightline through the center of the pin 41. Lines drawn'from the ends ofthe trigger to thejcenter' of the pin 41 form an angle pointing downwardly. The opposing edges of the bars 14 and 15 have recesses 46 and 47 into whichthe ends of the trigger enter for actuating the bars 14 and 15. The endsof the trigger'are such distances from the pin 41 and lines connect ing the said ends to the pin 41 form with each other such an angle that, when the rocker member is in one extreme position, one end,

as 44, ofthe tri ger'will be in one of the the bar 13 for operating he out of t l 1 e other recess, as 47, as shown in Fig. Asprring 48 is stretched betweenthc lug 49 on the bar 13 and timing 50 on the trigger above the pin 41. \Vhen the ends of the trigger are in a straight line at right angles with the bar 13, the spring will stand directly in front of the pin 41 and drill be parallel with the bar 13. The. spring 48 is an overthrow spring to automatically more the trigger to its limits as soon as the spring passestl e dead.centerhetu'een the pin 41 and .the lugs 49 and 50.

Acordtilns attached to the upper end of v (the latter when ,more convenient than the cap or puslhhut- 4 23.- 7 1 521's the cover for the casing.

lnTig. l, the bar 13 has been moved up- .wardlyto-i ts limit by the push-button 23 or thecord 51. Durin this movement of the 11M113, the end .44 ofthe trigger 40 has been in.enga gement with the upper wall of the uteccss ifiandhas pushed the'bar 14 upward- 'untilithe contact 37 ,engaged the contacts upper limit.

4 been operated droont-actim to open the i 38 u nles s theoverthrow spring 36 completed the n'iovement of the bar 14 before the trigger end 44 could operate the bar 14 to its full Fig. '1 shows the bar 1?, still at its upper lliinit. The rocking member 29 has by the bar 14 and caused the ,bar t0 mov e to its lower limit and the contacts 39. The

, spring gdholdstlie bars 14 and 15in the posithe ,end continues to descend and to t enshow nFi YWhen the bar '13 is released, the spring 25 movcsit downwardly. D uring the first A part .ocfj'thedescent of thejbar 13, the trigger moves downwardly triggcr entl 44"reaches the bottom wall of tl1e-reeess 46, the'end '44 is prevented from further downw'ard travel and'then becomes a pivotal point or the fulcruinof the trigger. As the bar 13 continues to descend,

gradually more ',to the right "because it 1S inovingfrom points above its pivot 41 to a point in ,a line at right angles with the bar 13 andthrough the center of the pin 41. Lillie end 45is traveling on a curve whose ,distance fromthe 'bar '15 is decreasing. As .the trigger becomes .nearly at right angles to the bar 13 as shown in Fig. 2. the trigger end 45 arrives at the upper end of ,the re- --cess 47. The spring '48 has passed its dead ,centenas shown in Fig. 2 and at. Once causes the trigger to turn clockwise. causing the end 45 to go'laterally further into the recess 47 an'dthe end 44 to move to the right. and out of the recess 46. Fig. 2 shows the bar 13 nearly-to .i.ts lower.limit with the trigger just .ready .to'turn clockwise. as described. The trigerwill be stopped by the shoulders 42 .and43.

the trigger end will engage the upper wall of without turning, but when the When-thejb ar 13 is again moved upwardly,

the recess 47 and push the bar 15 upwardly .and cause the contactf37' to engage the con- .ot the recess 47, it will turn anticlockwise and cause the end 44 to enter the recess 46 and the end 45 to be moved out of-the recess-47. In this operation, the spring 48 snaps the trigger anticlockwise as soon as it passes -its ;dead center.

In order-to more securely lock the-bars 14 and 15 in their final positiongthebar'13 has the pin 53 which engages one edge or the other of the upwardly tapering cars 33 on the rocker member 29 just as the bar '13 reaches its lower limit.

The switch is shownwith the bars 13, 14 and 15 vertical,-but-the switch will function in any position of the bars. -I- f desired one of the sets of contacts 36-38 and'3739 :may be omitted, or the lower ends'o-f -the bars14 and 15 may be providedwitlreontaets.

The bars 14 and 15 bearkthe respective indicators 54 and'55 which may ibe-tcircles visible throng-lithe windows 56 and 57 inithe cover 52. In Figs.-3 tor5 theindicator 5.4 is visible through -the'window:56and shows that th e bar 13 is in A its contact-closing position. 'In Fig. 5, theindicator. 55 issshowinbelowwthe mounted between its ends =ona :fixed pivot, a

pair of slidablerlinks .pivotally connected to the ends of the-rocker member and at the same side thereof, a shoulderoneach ofithe opposing faces of the.links anioperatingibarislidahle between thelinlrsandparallel therewith,

atrigger pivoted between its.ends onta pin carried .by the ba.r,.means limitingtthe piv-.

end of otal .movement .of the trigger, one

. the triggerbeing adapted to engage ashoulder on one-linlcupon ithe movementmf the bar in one direction seas-tomove-the said links in opposite directions, and the end of the trigger'being adaptetlto. engage a shoulder on=the other link-uponthe next sucecding movement of the bar' in the direction-described so as-to-reverse the movements of the links, an electrical contact eontrolled'by one of the'links, and a fixed contact engageable by the first contact.

2. In an electrieswitch aroeker-mcmber mountedbetween its ends on a fixedrpivot, a

-pairof 'slidable links ipivotally connected to the ends of the rocker member and at the same side thereof, a pair of shoulders on the opposing faces of the links, an operating bar slidable between the links and parallel therewith, a trigger pivoted between its ends on a pin carried by the bar, means limiting the pivotal movement of the trigger, one end of the trigger being adapted to engage a shoulder on one link upon the movement of the bar in one direction so as to move the said links in opposite directions, and the end of the trigger being adapted to engage a shoulder on the other link upon the next suceeding movement of the bar in the direction described so as to reverse the movements of the links, the end of the trigger which moves a link at any operation of the bar engaging the remaining shoulder on that link as the bar returns to its initial position and causing the other end of the trigger to come to rest between the shoulders on the other link, an electrical contact controlled by one of the links, and a fixed contact engageable by the first contact.

3. In an electric switch, a rocker member mounted between its ends on a fixed pivot, a pair of slidable links pivotally connected to the ends of the rocker member and at the same side thereof, a shoulder on each of the opposing faces of the links, an operating bar slidable between the links and parallel therewith, a trigger pivoted between its ends on a pin carried by the bar, means limiting the pivotal movement of the trigger, one end of the trigger being adapted to engage a shoulder on one link upon the movement of the bar in one direction so as to move the said links in opposite directions, and the end of the trigger being adapted to engage a shoulder on the othcrlink upon the next succeeding movement of the bar in the direction described so as to reverse the movements of the links, an electrical contact controlled by one of the links, a fixed contact engageable by the first contact, and means carried by the bar for locking the links when the bar is in its initial position.

4. In a switch, a pair of members, means for moving them in opposite directions, a switch contact carried by one of the members, an indicator carried by one member, and a casing enclosing the members and having a window to display the indicator when the members are in one position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

HARVEY B. TROTT. 

